The BCN Vocational Training Foundation is beginning the preparatory phase of the ALMA Catalonia Program, an initiative promoted by the Catalan Public Employment Service and 100% funded by the European Social Fund, which aims to empower vulnerable young people to access the labor market, the education system, and, in general, full social inclusion.
The project offers 10 places for young people between the ages of 18 and 29 who are registered with ZOCO as job seekers and beneficiaries of the Youth Guarantee. It is aimed especially at people with a low level of education, who have been unemployed for more than a year, who have functional diversity or mental health issues, or who are no longer under guardianship.
This program allows participants to enjoy an international experience with all expenses covered—travel, accommodation, and meals—and provides intensive preparation to ensure success. Mobility promotes the acquisition of new skills, boosts confidence, and facilitates job placement thanks to personalized service and continuous monitoring.
During June and July, young vocational training graduates from the Compeuropa project have already begun combining German language training with various social, cultural, and civic activities. The aim of these activities is to strengthen the bond between the young participants and their social and cultural environment, as well as with the different organizations and associations in their immediate surroundings.
These activities aim to improve and enhance the cross-cutting skills of young people, who, starting in October, will be able to undertake up to one year of professional internships in German companies.
On June 20, at the Barcelona Free Zone Consortium stand, the coordinator of our Observatory Lab, Àngel Tarriño, participated in the round table discussion “Despertando Vocaciones” (Awakening Vocations), a space for reflection and dialogue on how to attract and highlight female talent in the logistics of the future.
The Executive Committee and Steering Committee of the Barcelona Agreement for Quality Employment (#ABOQ), of which we are a member, held a meeting at Barcelona City Hall.
The meeting served to take stock of the work done so far and define the strategic lines for the future. In addition, Carles Ramió participated in the meeting, reflecting on co-governance and the Agreement’s operating model.
During June and July, young vocational training graduates from the Compeuropa project have already begun combining German language training with various social, cultural, and civic activities. These activities aim to strengthen the bond between the young participants and their social and cultural environment, as well as with the different organizations and associations in their immediate surroundings.
These activities are intended to improve and enhance the young people’s transferable skills, enabling them to undertake up to a year of professional internships in German companies starting in October.
On June 16, a new edition of the Fundació BCN FP Entrepreneurship Night was held, a day full of talent, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit, where the best projects promoted by vocational training in the Barcelona metropolitan area were awarded.
The event began with speeches by:
Marta Rodríguez, Director of the BCN FP Foundation
Nadia Quevedo, Barcelona City Council
Ester Pujol, Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB)
José Luís Duran, FPCat Agency
All of them highlighted the transformative role of vocational training and the need to continue supporting young people in their entrepreneurial and innovation projects.
After the FPconsolida Award was presented by Alejandro Ribó from Netmentora Catalunya, the event continued with an inspiring round table discussion, moderated by Neus Pons, with the participation of three entrepreneurs who have turned their ideas into reality: Ivan Figueredo (Neriva Labs), Noè Alexandre (Kölder), and Ivan Romero (Blue Containers Company).
This was followed by the presentation of the FPemprèn 2025 awards, with a total of 10 categories and 23 winning projects, demonstrating the capacity of vocational training to generate initiatives with a high social, economic, and technological impact.
Among the winning projects, the following stand out:
PANICILIO (Institut Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia – CFGM) and PlastiK.O. (Institut Hospital del Mar FP Sanitària – CFGS) in Energy and Environment
VENORELAX and HormoniTest in Health and Personal Care
STUDENTBOARD and GLOBALMINDS (Institut TIC de Barcelona) in Education and Culture
Octopus SFX Studio (Escola Thuya) as best commercial proposal
CAVA ESSENCE (Centre d’Estudis Prat) with the ICIL Award – Logistics Management
Croma Terra and GR Test, recognized with the FPemprèn Award for Female Talent
And finally, the Entrepreneur Award went to the following projects:
Hands to the Wood (Institut Mediterrània – CFGM), which promotes the craft and art of woodworking
Clearance App (EMAV – CFGS), a digital application focused on optimization and communication efficiency
The event concluded with the participation of Ricard Coma, from the Directorate-General for Vocational Training, and Paco Ramos, from the Ministry of Labor, who emphasized the value of vocational training as a lever for innovation and social cohesion.
Thank you to all the centers, students, teachers, and collaborators who made this edition possible! We remain committed to connected, creative, and transformative vocational training.
This Thursday saw the closing ceremony of the 7th edition of MetròpolisFPLab, an open innovation initiative in which young vocational training students work together with companies and institutions to respond to real challenges in the world of work. The project, promoted by the BCN Vocational Training Foundation with the support of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), Barcelona City Council, and Barcelona Provincial Council, involved more than 1,600 students and the collaboration of 12 companies and institutions this year.
The event was held at the Bellvitge-Gornal Cultural Center in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and brought together representatives from the promoting entities, educational centers, and participating companies.
During the event, the winning projects were announced, recognized for their creativity, feasibility, and quality of execution. The selected teams will receive a paid scholarship to develop their proposals within the companies that set the challenges, working side by side with their professional teams.
The challenges set and the winning teams are detailed below:
ecoHUB
New strategy to boost a business community in the sustainable construction sector
TICBuilding
Institut TIC de Barcelona
Marc Mimbrero, Verónica Pardo Maldonado, Maria Isabel Ferrachol, Josué López
Ametller Origen
Prevention and detection of food loss and waste
ALNA CONSULTING
EMT Granollers
Manel Valle, Alberto Navarro, Maliha Chohan, Akram Ouhai
MB92
Reuse of leftover plastic for new products
Econautes
Hospital del Mar Vocational Training Institute
Paula Carrascosa, Laia Vives Tardà, Giulia Colombo Caccia, Marina Catalán Chacón
Hospital de Granollers
Optimization of wheelchair management to ensure availability
IT Services
Col·legi Cultural de Badalona
Paula Douton Comabella, Pol Moreno Tenor, Sergio Vilches Bernal, Nicolás Gómez
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Design of innovative and educational green points within the venue
Sustainable Drivers
Escola d’Art i Disseny de Rubí
Valeria Escobar, Carla Martínez, Pablo Alexei Martínez
Seditesa
Development of a marketing campaign for the Spanish market
Poblenou-capibara
Institut Poblenou
Micaela Arevalo, Roger Balleter, Mariia Khomenko
Port de Barcelona
Design of visual materials to share historical and current information
Creation of a water fountain for events, with technical and branding criteria
BlueCycle
Col·legi Cultural de Badalona
Joel Caballero Lucía, Ivan Puertas Macías
In addition, the work of the tutors has been recognized, as they play a key role in guiding students through the process of devising and developing solutions. The InnobusAward, presented by the Baix Llobregat Innovation Agency (Innobaix), was also given to the proposal that stood out most for its transformative capacity and potential impact.
MetròpolisFPLab is a clear commitment to bringing vocational training talent closer to the productive sector and promoting a culture of innovation among young people, generating new opportunities for professional development and connection with business.
Below, you can watch a video compilation of the final presentations, where students, teachers, and companies share their testimonials:
On May 28th and 30th, at the Convent of Barcelona Activa, we celebrated the presentations of the final projects of the participating groups of the 7th edition of the MetropolisFPLab. These presentations were innovative and addressed challenges that reflect today’s social issues and improvement goals. On June 5th, 2025, we will celebrate the award ceremony and the end of the Metropolis project of this edition.
During the week of May 12-16, a training stay focused on leisure and wellness took place in the French city of Toulouse. Seventeen vocational training teachers from schools in Barcelona and its metropolitan area were able to see firsthand how French vocational training works and, specifically, how the professional families of hospitality and tourism, personal image, and physical and sports activities are structured.
The training stay was organized by the BCN Vocational Training Foundation and Toulouse Metropole (both members of the European Vocational Training Network Association) and included visits to various vocational training centers such as CFA Blagnac (a leading center in hospitality), Campus Jasmin – Métiers de la beauté Coiffure te Esthétique (a leading center for personal image), and the CREPS Toulouse Occitanie professional and high-performance sports center.
At the same time, the government of the Occitanie Region explained the fundamental aspects of the French vocational training system, as well as the most significant differences between it and the Spanish vocational training system.
The following vocational training centers participated in the training stay: Institut de l’Esport de Barcelona, Institut Ferran Tallada, Institut Les Salines, Institut Escola d’Hoteleria i Turisme de BCN, Institut eCAT Lluïsa Cura, Institut Salvador Seguí i l’Institut Marti Dot.
On May 7, we held the Foundation’s Board of Trustees meeting, where the change in executive chairmanship was formalized: Marta Rodríguez, Director of Organization, People, and Culture at Mercabarna, takes over from Sara Berbel. The new executive chairwoman is very excited to take on this new responsibility. We sincerely thanked Sara Berbel for her great work and all the help and support she gave us during her term of office. The annual accounts for the 2024 financial year were also presented and approved. Find the interview with Marta Rodríguez here.
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